Quick answer: why carry Under Sod™?
Under Sod™ is a biological 4-2-5 starter built to go directly beneath new sod, and it attaches to your existing sales with the simplest math in the category: one 25 lb bag per pallet. For a sod farm, that means added margin on pallets you already sell, a purpose-built brand to put your name behind, and sod that roots faster in the field — which means fewer rooting callbacks.
Why this matters for sod farms
Every pallet you ship lands on someone else's graded soil, and that thin soil-to-sod rooting zone is where your product either knits down fast or sits like a rug. Harvested sod arrives nearly rootless; it has days, not weeks, to push new roots into the soil beneath it. What the installer puts in that zone is the single biggest factor in how your sod performs after it leaves your farm — and how it gets remembered.
When sod roots quickly and cleanly, you get fewer warranty conversations, fewer "it never took" callbacks, and customers who come back. When it struggles on dead, compacted fill, your sod takes the blame even though the soil was the problem. Putting a purpose-built starter in the rooting zone protects the quality you already grew.
The old approach: leave the fertilizer to the customer
The standard move has been to sell the pallet and let the customer sort out fertilizer on their own — usually a high-phosphorus lawn starter like 18-24-12 or 10-20-10 grabbed from a big-box shelf, broadcast on top of the new sod and watered in. Those products were formulated to seed bare soil, not to feed the interface beneath a sod roll, and a topical granule can sit on the leaf blades instead of reaching the roots. That leaves margin on the table for you and leaves rooting performance to chance.
| No add-on / generic starter | Under Sod™ add-on | |
|---|---|---|
| Attach math | Customer guesses coverage | One bag per pallet |
| Designed for | Seeding bare soil | The soil-to-sod rooting zone |
| Placement | Broadcast on top, watered in | Spread on soil, sod laid on top |
| Margin to the farm | None | Added margin per pallet |
| Brand at the install | Generic shelf product | Trademarked, purpose-built |
The better approach: a purpose-built under-sod add-on
Under Sod™ is formulated around the rooting zone rather than the leaf. The K-forward, moderate-phosphorus 4-2-5 ratio supplies enough phosphorus for root initiation without a hot spike — with the raised potassium driving drought, cold, and stress tolerance through the transplant-shock window — and the biological package does the work: named endomycorrhizae (*Rhizophagus irregularis, Funneliformis mosseae, Glomus aggregatum, Glomus etunicatum*) to colonize and extend the new root system, a *Bacillus* consortium (*B. amyloliquefaciens, B. megaterium, B. subtilis*) and *Trichoderma* (*T. harzianum / T. virens*) to work the root zone, a microbial carbon source to feed them, 2% seaweed extract (Ascophyllum nodosum) for natural rooting compounds, and 6% humic acid (leonardite) plus fulvic acid to improve nutrient holding at the soil interface. It is iron-free by design — it roots the sod rather than greening the bag. At SGN 90 it spreads evenly on graded soil and stays where it is placed.
For the trade, the appeal is the attach logic. There is no coverage table to explain and no SKU complexity: one 25 lb bag covers one pallet of sod (500 sq ft). Stock it next to the pallets, add it to the ticket, and every customer leaves with the right starter for the product they just bought. See the full specs or how it compares in best fertilizer under sod and under-sod fertilizer explained.
Where Under Sod™ fits
Under Sod™ launches Fall 2026 across the Northeast through the CT Sod network. If you grow or sell sod, you can carry it as a one-bag-per-pallet add-on — start at become a dealer, review the full product specs, or join the notification list for launch and availability alerts.
Encourage customers to pair fertilizer with a soil test. Many states — including New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Florida, Maryland, Michigan, and Wisconsin — restrict phosphorus lawn fertilizer, though most rules exempt establishing a new lawn or a soil-test-shown deficiency, which is the sod-installation case. Restrictions are often stricter near lakes, rivers, and shorelines. Under Sod's moderate 2% phosphorus — and iron-free formulation — is easier to justify in regulated and waterfront areas than a hot starter, but installers should always confirm local and municipal requirements before applying.
Application rate
The one-bag-per-pallet math
- Count the pallets on the order — that is your bag count. One 25 lb bag per pallet of sod.
- The installer finishes grading and final soil prep for a smooth, firm surface.
- Spread one 25 lb bag per 500 sq ft of finished soil; leave the granules on the surface and do not till them deep.
- Lay the sod directly on top, then water thoroughly to settle the sod and activate the biology.
Because coverage matches a pallet exactly, the add-on rings up automatically: count pallets, count bags.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does Under Sod™ attach to a sod sale?+
One 25 lb bag covers one pallet of sod (500 sq ft), so the add-on matches the order one-to-one. There is no coverage math to explain — count pallets to count bags.
Why would a sod farm carry it instead of letting customers buy their own starter?+
It adds margin to pallets you already sell, puts a trademarked, purpose-built brand behind your sod, and helps the sod root faster in the field — which means fewer rooting callbacks and warranty conversations.
Is this just a repackaged lawn starter?+
No. Generic starters are high-phosphorus blends built to seed bare soil. Under Sod™ is a 4-2-5 biological starter formulated for the soil-to-sod rooting zone, with named endomycorrhizae, a *Bacillus* and *Trichoderma* package, seaweed extract, and humic acid. See starter fertilizer vs. Under Sod™.
Does adding it create SKU complexity?+
Minimal — it is a single 25 lb bag that attaches one-per-pallet, so it stocks and rings up alongside the sod you already sell.
How does it help with rooting callbacks?+
Placing biology and moderate nutrition in the rooting zone before the sod goes down gives new roots something living to grow into, so the sod knits down faster and the soil takes less of the blame when an install struggles.
When and where can we carry it?+
Under Sod™ launches Fall 2026 in the Northeast through the CT Sod network. Start at become a dealer or join the notification list for availability.
Keep reading
Homeowners and installers are already asking what goes under new sod. UNDER SOD™ is the trademarked brand built specifically for that job.
Built for beneath the sod.
A 4-2-5, iron-free biological starter — named mycorrhizae, beneficial bacteria, Trichoderma, seaweed, and humic acid — at one bag per pallet. Launching Fall 2026 across the Northeast.